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WIN A SPA WEEK!

08.17.11

By Sheryll Alexander

For those who’ve always wanted to stay an entire week at an all-inclusive wellness retreat, now is the time to enter a Spa Week contest for a chance to win such a trip to The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Malibu.

You can enter the Fast Track to Health Giveaway through Sept. 11 by clicking here.

Spa Week worked closely with Today Show nutritionist Joy Bauer to create this health-driven getaway giveaway. The winner receives:

Six nights accommodations at Malibu’s The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge
Daily fitness activities
Daily healthy meals
Pampering spa services
A take-home package including Joy’s bestselling book, Food Cures, with a personalized nutritional plan designed by Joy
$175 in Spa Week gift cards

For more information, visit www.spaweek.com, Spa Week on Facebook and Twitter.

RITZ CARLTON PHOENIX FOR A DESERT ESCAPE!

08.13.11

Review by Terra Flores

Unwind, rethink, and reimagine this fall with a weekend trip at the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix. With a slower pace and a change of scenery, visitors to this scenic city can enjoy attentive service, glorious nature, high culture and private relaxation.

Usually regarded as a business hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix makes an excellent central location when visiting what Native Americans called “The Valley of the Sun.”

This no-fuss hotel is situated directly across the street from fountain-laden Biltmore Fashion Park shopping center and along the city’s famed upscale Camelback Corridor.

Known the world over for its top notch privacy policy (by never dilvulging even its famous A-list Hollywood celebrity and super star athlete guests), this “Ritz” has 281 well-appointed guest rooms and suites.

The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix is also famed for its lavish lobby lounge with classic décor, plush seating, and sparking chandeliers. A traditional afternoon tea is offered in this to-be-seen space while cocktails are de rigeur each evening.

Service and Rooms at The Ritz

This hotel pays attention to your every need from the moment you arrive in its at-home atmosphere. The staff calls you by name, protects your privacy and aims to make sure you are comfortable and enjoying your stay.

Guest rooms feature plush beds, marble bathrooms, work desks, refreshment centers and some have breathtaking views of the Piestewa Peak Mountain Preserve or the city’s dramatic downtown skyline.

The presidential suite has the best mountain view of the house -- first-class “Mad Men” New York décor, and a baby grand – such a treat!

We recommend booking a room on the hotel’s “club level,” which gives your party access to round-the-clock beverage presentations, culinary delights and impeccable service. In this well-designed lounge, guests start the day with a lovely continental breakfast, coffee, and fresh juice.

The Ritz’s “club lounge” is like having a personal living room. Moms, dads, kids, couples and business people drop by the lounge all day long to eat a snack, read the newspaper, drink a glass of wine or nosh on a post-dinner dessert before bed.

The concierge service at club level is non-stop attentive. If you have any questions about things to do, the surrounding area, or need to book additional services, you can take comfort in knowing that all club guests are treated like VIPs, and staff will go the extra mile in fulfilling your requests.

Bistro 24

Hungry? Consider the hotel’s Bistro 24. With a fusion of European and Southwest décor, this casual bistro has an easy-going atmosphere, chef flair and conscientious servers.

We dined here on a Friday evening and we were surprised to discover a young guitar-playing “cowboy” who provided down-home entertainment. And although the meal was an all-you-can-eat buffet that evening, it was a very upscale experience from the local, seasonal ingredients to the grilled meat stations. We also loved the lush salads, fresh sushi, and scrumptious desserts.

Nature Getaways

With Phoenix as your base camp, the surrounding Sonoran Desert is ready for you to explore. Indulge in a day trip to Sedona or even a private plane to the Grand Canyon. The concierge can also arrange a hot air balloon ride as well as rustic desert horseback rides. Craving a little mountain action? Flagstaff is a two-hour drive away for a cool-weather picnic or ski trip (if there’s snow).

For the golfer, Phoenix is a mecca. Two recommended luxury courses are Troon North Golf Club and Raven at South Mountain. A supporter of Audubon International’s efforts to protect natural habitats, Troon has minimal rolling greens flowing in between spectacularly raw desert landscape and protected saguaro cacti. Raven offers a more traditional course look, with nearly 6,000 pine trees lining its fairways.

For our nature getaway, we took an hour’s ride past the humbling Superstitious Mountain range and visited the much-talked-about Boyce Thompson Arborteum, which is a preserve and research center underwritten by The University of Arizona. For the next four hours we visited immaculate desert rose and cactus gardens, hiked up to impressive Ayer Lake, cooled off under shade-lined Queen Creek, meditated in the informative Herb Garden. And, we couldn’t believe we were in the desert when we explored the breathtaking Eucalyptus Forest. This arboretum is definitely Disneyland for nature lovers.

Culture and Art

One of the key cultural venues in Phoenix is the Heard Museum. It is a must-see Native American museum about 10-15 minutes from the hotel. It is a first-rate immersive experience into the Native American culture both past and present. Hard-to-find, authentic, handmade American Indian artwork and jewelry can also be found in the museum shop.

Another lesser-known but fascinatingly local experience is The Mesa Arts Center’s museums. About 20 minutes away, its ongoing professional art exhibitions also allow you to purchase collector pieces. Our breath was taken away by a special exhibit called “Wood & Stone, Substance & Spirit” in which one of the displays was a visually stunning presentation of Arizona soils – dirt was actually impressionable! Cheech Marin also had his “Chicanitas” exhibit of small paintings underway, which demanded instant engagement into contemporary Chicano art.

We also met flameworking and ceramics artists at the center -- both renowned in their fields -- and took a mini-flameworking class. We made gorgeous glass beads by using a heart-pumping live flame to molt down glass.

Insider tip: You can book private flameworking, ceramics, or metals/jewelry classes taught by these professional artists by calling 480-644-6520.

Private Relaxation at The Ritz

Taking it easy is more of a casual, private affair at the Ritz. If you would like a massage, a concierge will book you with the confidential service of your choice. Massage rooms are discretely located within the fitness center dressing rooms. You are given a robe and slippers as part of the service for a spa-like treatment.

We experienced the hotel’s signature therapeutic massage by a delightful therapist who gave after-service tips on shoulder stretching. Our shoulders gained mileage after that helpful advice!

The relaxation pool is located on the second level and offers a chance to soak your feet, cool off and rest under the sundeck’s hydro-misting system.

Feeling the need to explore on foot? Take a five-minute walk to the Biltmore luxury shopping center via a private underpass and stroll through fountains as you enjoy high-end stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Ralph Lauren. The low-cal grillings at Seasons 52 make for a guilt-free lunch.

All in all, with exceptional service the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix is a must-book hotel for your desert respite. You can’t go wrong with its central location to shopping, adventures, and culture. And fall is the perfect time to enjoy the lower temperatures in the arid Southwest.

Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, 2401 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85016, 602-468-0700, http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Phoenix/.

Terra Flores is a freelance travel writer.

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